Twice Upon Tomatoes
by kokoyuki27
Summary: Romano 'rescued' Italy from Germany and now the 2 of them are living with Spain. But when Spain started paying attention to Italy, Romano started to feel uneasy. People always prefer Italy to him, so will Spain finally do the same and abandon him too?
1. Chapter 1

It was a Friday morning and Spain was already in his tomato field, tending to his tomatoes when a certain shouting was heard.

"Spain! Leave your stupid farm alone and go save my brother from that stupid Germany!" Romano ordered as he marched into Spain's farm, squashing a few innocent sprouts by accident.

"Okay~ Anything for my little Roma~" Spain smiled as he took of his gloves and patted Romano on the head.

"Don't touch me! You are all sweaty! Don't call me Roma either! It is disgusting. You better be fast, I am leaving in 10 minutes." Romano blurted out and stomped back to the house again.

"-Sigh- Being boss nowadays sure is hard. Ahh~ What happened to my cute little innocent Rom-"

Spain was hit in the face by a certain flying tomato.

"Shut the hell up and get ready! Or I will leave without you!" Romano shouted, in his hand was another tomato.

"Okay, I am coming! Ahh, it's been so long since I have seen Ita-chan, I wonder how he i-"

Another tomato landed on his face with perfect aiming.

"Don't you dare plan on doing anything to that dumb brother of mine!" Romano slammed the door shut behind him.

"Ahh~ My Roma is so violent in such a cute way~" Spain licked the tomato splatter near his lips, sweet.

* * *

><p>Basically, that was how Spain and Romano ended outside of Germany' house.<p>

"Right then, let's get this done and go for a drink together." Spain suggested as he lifted his hand to ring the bell.

"Out of the way." Romano got a step ahead of Spain and simply kicked the door down with ease, as if the doorbell had never existed.

"Oii! You Potato freak! I am here to save my dumb brother! Get ready to get your butt kicked. " Romano shouted as he stomped into Germany's house and grabbed the shocked Italy.

"Ahh, yeah." Germany simply answered without even looking up from his newspaper. This was somehow not something new to him.

"Roma~ you should have at least said hi first. Hey Ita-Chan, how are you?" Spain walked in after Romano and greeted with a carefree smile on his face.

"Spain nii san! It is so nice to see you again!" Italy smiled back.

"Spain you bastard! Now is not the time for greeting! Hurry the hell up and help me get my brother out of here!" Romano ordered.

"Okay, I am on it. Germany, you don't mind having Ita-Chan stay with us for a while right?" Spain asked as he patted Germany on the back.

"Just return him when you are done." Germany, still finding the newspaper more amusing, decided not to look up.

"Heh! Like hell I would be stupid enough and leave him her again! He may be dumb, but I am not! You are not fooling me you potato bastard! Spain! Let's get the hell out of here!" Romano shouted and within minutes, the three of them were gone.

"-Sigh- And I was hoping that he would open the door like a normal person would for once. Maybe I should change to a metal one." Germany finally looked up and muttered to himself.

Finally, at least a week of peace and alone time, and Germany enjoys his alone time.

* * *

><p>Romano woke up to the delicious smell of pasta and dragged his heavy legs to the dining room.<p>

"Spain, What are we having fo-" Romano rubbed his eyes sleepily and muttered as he approached the kitchen, but immediately stopped his tracks and hid himself behind the wall, away from sight.

Spain and Italy were in the kitchen.

Suddenly, he was completely awake as he slowly peeked out from the wall, spying at the two. He did not know why he was doing this, but something in him told him that this had to be done.

Then, he started eavesdropping at the same time.

"Wow! That pasta sure smells good! It's been so long since I have last eaten Ita Chan's cooking. I can't wait." Spain laughed warmly.

"Ve~ If it's big brother Spain, I would cook for you anytime." Italy stirred the pasta in the pot.

"Really? Ahh~ I feel like the most lucky big brother in the world. If only Romano would cook for his boss as well." Spain joked and messed up Italy's hair, who simply laughed.

For some reason, Romano felt annoyed when he heard Spain laugh because of Veneziano, more annoyed than normal. It was not like he cannot cook, in fact, he can definitely do a better job than his brother. But he did not bother since Spain did all the cooking and cleaning anyway.

Besides, even if he did clean and cook for Spain, he would still prefer Veneziano. Everyone else did. Since young, he was overshadowed by his brother. Everyone would fight for his brother, and leave him there, all alone. Everyone except Spain. But it looked like even Spain was going to choose Veneziano over him.

"Who cares? It is not like I want him to be with me anyway." Romano snapped and went back to his room.

That was right, just his brother was enough for Spain. But why won't the weird feeling in his heart go away?

"Hmm?" Spain looked up and looked in the direction where Romano was originally hiding.

"What's wrong big brother Spain?" Italy asked as he diced the tomatoes grown by Spain himself, best in the world.

"Ah, I thought I heard Romano." Spain scratched his head and laughed.

"Fratello?"

"Yeah, but I guess it is just my imagination. Romano should be still in bed at a time like this. He hates waking up early. One time, I dragged him out from bed at 7 in the morning to go to the tomato field with me. He got so pissed that he threw me with pillows, then with tomatoes, and even plates when we came back from the field." Spain recalled with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Ve… That sounded somehow very dangerous." But exactly what he should expect from his own brother.

"But don't you think Romano is cute that way? " Spain simply enjoyed pissing Romano off so much that it almost became a habit.

Ve~ Nii Chan really is cute at times. The pasta is ready now. Spain Nii Chan, can you go and wake Fratello up for me?" Italy asked as he placed the pasta into three big round plates.

"Okay. I am sure he will enjoy your cooking as well." Spain smiled and walked to Romano's room.

"Roma~ Are you still asleep? Wake up or I will eat your share of the pasta too." Spain knocked on the door and entered the bedroom, immediately spotting a huge lump on the bed, covered by the blanket.

"Go away you bastard, I am not hungry." Romano snared, hiding under the blankets.

"Really? Too bad then~ Now I can have all of Ita-Chan's delicious pasta to myself~" Spain joked as a pillow hit him in the face. For some reason, he expected this to happen.

"Don't you dare touch the pasta! I am eating it!" Romano shouted and dashed to the dining table, leaving Spain in the room.

Spain smiled and picked up the pillow at his feet, then placed it back on the bed. His Romano would never change, getting pissed so easily. Yet, something felt wrong and it felt as if Romano was acting weirdly. Was something bothering him again?


	2. Chapter 2

"Ita-Chan, what to go to the tomato field with me after breakfast? The weather has been really good and the tomatoes are growing well. I was thinking of making ketchup using them." Spain asked as he stuffed himself with the pasta Italy cooked, not forgetting to praise Italy for cooking such delicious pasta.

"Ve~ Um! I will go with you. Then we can also use the tomatoes to make pizza. Let's have pizza for dinner. We are having pizza for dinner right? Pizza would be good~ Pizza~" Italy started to drool at the thought of it.

Romano shook when he heard Spain asked Veneziano that question. Spain used to ask him every day, not Veneziano. So why didn't Spain ask him this time? Was it because Veneziano was here? Crap, that weird feeling in his heart was back again, even stronger this time.

Clenching his fist, he shot up and ran into his room, slamming the door behind him, leaving the 2 very shocked Spain and Italy. Spain only needed his younger brother.

"Roma! You did not finish your pasta!" Spain called, but did not get a reply. Something was definitely bothering Romano, but what?

* * *

><p>Romano lie on his bed, staring at the white celing.<p>

The sun's warm rays shone on him, making it hard to stay asleep. Covering his face with the pillow, he finally drifted into sleep…

"_Fratello, aren't you excited? I wonder who will bring me home." The young Veneziano asked in his cute and innocent voice, looking around curiously._

"_What is there to be excited about? It is no big deal!" Romano folded his arms in front of his chest and looked away. Still, it would be great if he was chosen by someone nice._

"_You look capable. Why don't you come with me and live at my house." Austria came by and after observing the two, asked Veneziano._

_Romano looked as Veneziano happily agreed to the deal and laughed. His brother was just lucky and Austria was just unlucky. Why would anyone choose his wimpy brother when he is here?_

"_Hey Austria! I saw him first!" France charged in and argued._

"_No! Italy is mine!" A few countries joined them and started arguing over who should bring Italy home._

_Yet, none of them approached Romano, as if he did not exist at all. To a young country, it was very hurtful._

"_Hey! I am here too! Why aren't you looking at me? I am much better than him! Hey!" Romano shouted as he waved his arms, trying to get some attention. But the other countries just kept arguing and moved away from him, as if he was air._

"_I-I don't care. I-I-I am not sad at all." Romano convinced himself as he tried as hard as he could to stop the tears from dropping down._

"_Hey. Are you crying?" Suddenly, a voice asked behind him._

"_I- I am not crying you idiot! It is just water!" Romano jerked and quickly wiped his tears dry, then turned around to find Spain looking at him with very kind eyes._

"_Ah~ You are so cute! Can I call you Romano? Can I? How about Roma? Yup. I think I will call you Roma from now on." Spain decided immediately._

"_O- Oii! Don't you want my younger brother? He Is over there." Romano pointed to Veneziano, surrounded by a crowd of people._

"_Hmm? Should I? But you are so much cuter. Here, you can have this." Spain passed Romano a tomato._

_Romano stared at the tomato for a moment and after some hesitation and a certain persistent Spain persuading him to eat it, took a small bite. It was hard to describe how tasty it was. But after that try, tomato was Romano's favorite food._

"_Good right? So, will you come home with me?" Spain held out his hand._

_Romano was about to hold Spain's hand when the atmosphere changed. Spain's smile turned into a frown as he slapped Romano's hand away in disgust._

"_Keep on dreaming! Why would anyone want you? Your arts, your culture, your location, they are all nothing compared to your brother! No one needs you, when your brother is enough. " Spain scolded as he snatched the tomato away from Romano and threw it away. He then turned away and joined the crowd to adopt Veneziano._

_Suddenly, the floor around him started cracking, forming a big hole, engulfing him into the darkness._

"Help!" Romano sat up, panting.

Looking around, he realized that he was still in his room, his pillow drenched by his sweat. It felt so real, he could almost taste the tomato that Spain gave him for the first time. It may just be a dream. No, a nightmare. But it was based on his memory, and the memory was altered by the present.

Romano looked out of his window, spotting Spain and Veneziano in the tomato field, having a fun time together. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he appreciated Spain. Spain was the only one who chose him over his brother. Spain was the first one to show him love. But it looked like it was all over, just like waking up from a dream. The altered memory would become reality, and Spain would abandon him soon.

"Cheh, like hell I am going to let that happen. I will be the one who abandons him." Romano walked out of the house without Spain or Veneziano noticing. He remembered France saying that he could go to his house anytime, and despite how annoying that was, it was the only choice now.

* * *

><p>"Roma~ Come on down! We brought many delicious tomatoes!" Spain dashed into Romano's room, only to find it empty.<p>

"Eh? Ita Chan, did you see Romano?" Spain asked Italy.

"Ve… I don't think so." Italy recalled and shook his head.

"Really? Where could he be?" First Romano was acting weirdly, and now he was missing. Spain had a bad feeling about this.

"Ita Chan, I am sorry. But dinner will have to wait. We have to find Romano." Spain dropped his basket of tomatoes and marched out of the house.

* * *

><p>"Oh~ Romano? Did you miss me so much? That is why you came to visit me right?" France look at the guest, rather surprised that Romano, who used to hate him so much, came to visit him.<p>

"Shut up you bastard. I will be staying here for a few days whether you like it or not." Romano replied sulkily and walked into France's house and straight to the kitchen, treating himself to a tomato.

It tasted different somehow.

"Let me guess. You are troubled by something. Right?" France sat on the sofa beside Romano and asked.

"I am not. I am just annoyed." Romano turned away.

"Annoyed by? Is it Spain?"

"Why would I bother about him?" Romano shouted and at the same time, crushed the tomato in his hand.

"All he care about is Veneziano now. He is going to abandon me after all." Romano become softer as he spoke, his curl bent down due to his mood.

"Romano?"

"Why is it that no matter how hard I try, others will still choose my brother over me? Why did Spain choose me when he obviously wanted Veneziano? Is it just to hurt me later?" Romano had started crying and this time, he did not bother holding back his tears.

"So that Spain's inability to read the atmosphere had finally hurt you. That idiot, what did I tell him?" France shook his head in dismay.

"But you know, Spain really do love you. He is just stupid and blur and stubborn and so on. Yeah he may like Italy, but you will always be number one to him. I don't mind if you choose to live with me, but you should at least clear any misunderstanding." France tried calming the crying Romano down.

Just then, France's door was flung opened for the second time and in came an anxious looking Spain.

"Romano! Here you are! Why did you come here without telling me? I was so worried!" Spain charged into France's living room after spotting Romano.

"Are you crying? FRANCE! WHAT DID YOU DO?" Spain jumped into conclusions and lifted France up by the collar, ready to punch him.

"He- Hey! Wait! I did not do this!" France stuttered, desperately trying to explain himself.

"As if I belie-"

"He did not do anything you bastard! You are the reason I am crying! You stupid idiot!" Romano shouted.

"Me?" Spain's grip on France's shirt loosened.

"Yes you! Why are you even here? All you need is Italy! So you can go back and eat pizza with him now!" Romano dashed out of France's house, but where else could he go?

"Roma! Wait-"

"Give it a rest, if he did not want you to catch up, you won't stand a chance at all." France advised.

"I won't know if I don't give it a try." Spain replied and dashed out of the door.

"Shouldn't you at least understand why Romano was angry at you?" France shook his head once again.

Then again, Romano was quite slow too, when was he going to realize that he like Spain so much that he was jealous?

"This should be fun to watch." He finally decided and closed his door.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello?"

"Bonjour my beautiful lady~ how are you today?"

"… Good bye."

"A-Ah! Don't hang up! I need your help!" France quickly got the point. "I need your help on something and I assure you that if you don't help, you will regret it."

"… You have five seconds." The voice on the other end finally said after some hesitation.

* * *

><p>Romano could not remember how far he had run or how long he had been crying. But he figured that it won't matter as long as he was able to get away from Spain. By the time he was too tired to run or cry anymore, he had to stop and rest, but was surprised by where he ended up at.<p>

"Shit, of all places, it had to be here." Romano scowled as he looked around.

He was in the exact same garden when he first met Spain and first tasted a tomato. Normally, this place would be full of nostalgic feeling and a normal person would probably feel warm and fuzzy being here. But now, everything reminded him of Spain, and everything hurts.

"Misunderstanding… What does that wine bastard knows anyway?" Romano muttered as he lies on the green grass patch, gazing at the sky as he managed to calm down a bit and stopped crying.

If he was not wrong, France was pretty eager to get his younger brother too. So it was not that hard to understand that France probably won't prefer him now. All those advice and comfort words might just be a nicer way of saying 'Hey, I don't want someone as useless as you in my house, so get back to whoever you belong to'.

"Whatever. Nothing good comes from living with that pervert anyway." Romano finally decided.

"Here you are." A soft voice suddenly said as Hungary came into Romano's sight.

"Huh? You were looking for me?" Romano sat up, a little surprised.

"Expecting someone else?" Hungary smiled.

"No- not at all." Romano quickly denied.

"If you say so. Hmm, I thought Ita Chan told me something about you being harsh on choice of words. Guess he was wrong." Hungary went ahead and sat beside Romano on the ground.

"Re- really? He told you that?" Romano's eye twitched as he resisted the urge to start cursing his brother in front of her. After all, he was not into being hit by a pan.

"Yup. But this is not about ita- Chan or anyone else. I am here to talk about you." Hungary said as she toyed with a strand of her hair.

"Me?"

"Yes, all about you. Here, a little present for you." Hungary said as she placed 2 similar looking cupcakes on Romano's hand.

"Ah, thank you, but cupcakes?" Was he supposed to eat them or something?

"Not just any cupcakes. They are jam filled cupcakes. Take a bite and tell me the flavor." Hungary leaned closer.

Being completely clueless and with the constant fear of being whacked by a pan, Romano took a bite of the first cupcake and immediately tasted the sweet filling.

"Is this strawberry jam?" Romano answered almost immediately.

"Good job! Your taste buds are amazing! Now try this one." Hungary pointed to the second one.

"Huh? But they are the same. This has strawberry jam too." Romano replied without thinking.

"Are you sure? Why don't you take a bite just to make sure?" Hungary insisted.

"O- okay." Romano bit into the second cupcake unwilling, but was surprised to taste a sour filling this time.

"it's also strawberry jam, I just made the jam with sour strawberries indeed. Romano, don't you think that you and Ita- Chan are just like these two cupcakes?" Hungary came up with this shocking comparison, a little too shocking for Romano to understand.

"We are cupcakes?"

"You are both Italy and look pretty much alike. But, the both of you are unique in your own way. Just like how ita- Chan is sweet like the sweet strawberry filing, and how you are special like the sour filling. Some people love the sweet cupcakes, but to some others, nothing can replace the position of the sour cupcakes in their heart. Get it?" Hungary explained as Romano's eyes widened, finally getting the picture.

"So, don't you think you should go back to that someone who loves sour cupcakes more than anything else?" She winked.

* * *

><p><em>This happened the same time Hungary was treating Romano to her cupcakes.<em>

"Oii! Did all those bull fighting get into your head? Why are you acting like one of those bulls?" Prussia suddenly appeared in front of Spain, who almost banged into him.

"Not now Prussia, I have to find Romano." Spain replied in his rare serious tone, worries were written all over his face.

"-Sigh- Why did I have to do this just because that tomboy told me to? Tell you what. The awesome me will help you look for your man after you calm down. " Prussia practically dragged Spain to the bench nearby and forced him to sit on the bench.

"I told you, this is not the time for jokes." Spain was getting pissed.

"Hey, I am just trying to help. If you keep on acting like a crazy bull, even the awesome me can't help you anymore. Besides, that guy will definitely run away from you again if you just charged at him." Prussia stated proudly.

"You don't even know-"

"Of course I knew what happened! Who do you think I am? But what do you know? Do you even know why he was mad at you? How about where he would be now? Hmm?" Prussia said in his matter-of-fact voice.

"What do you know then?" Spain calmed down a little

"Everything you don't know. Romano was upset because he thought that you decided to choose Ita Chan instead of him. Geez, you really have to learn to read the atmosphere at times. My old man taught me himself. I can give you a lesson if you beg me."

"Carry on."

"Basically, Romano felt neglected and unneeded, so you will have to think of a way to show him that he is indeed important to you." Prussia instructed.

"How do I do that?" Spain gave Prussia the blur look.

"Tch, why do I have to handle you instead? I am too awesome for this kind of stuff." Prussia complained, "Think of the things that you really appreciate about him, and then work on it."

"Something I appreciate about Romano…"

"Yeah! Like how everyone likes me because I am just so cool and awesome-"

"His smiles."

"Huh?"

"Romano may not smile all the time, but his smiles are the best. They are just like the sun, so warm and bright-"

"Ok ok! I get the idea. Hmm, I guess this sort of accomplishes my goal. Let's go! I will keep my promise and help you find Romano because that is what awesome people do." Prussia cut into Spain's sentence and pulled him to his feet.

"Thanks! But I need to go get something before that. Wait here! I will be back soon!" Spain shouted happily as he dashed for his house, leaving Prussia alone on the spot.

"Heh, now that tomboy will have to treat the awesome me to dinner!" Prussia grinned victoriously.

* * *

><p><em><strong>le gasp, its been half a month since i have updated this story, and i am so sorry!<strong>_

**_ahahaha... Anyway, here is the 3rd chapter~ _**

**_please review if you find it good/horrible/or simply a waste of time_**


	4. Chapter 4

"Romano! Here you are!" Spain's voice was heard as Romano turned around to see Spain and Prussia running towards them.

"You two are finally here! What took you so long? I was done a long time ago!" Hungary complained and held out her pan, ready to deal a strike on someone should the answer she was going to receive be ridiculous.

"Oi-Oii! Put that down would you! The awesome me did everything perfectly! This guy just had to rush home to get something before rushing here." Prussia argued.

"Hmm, I guess that it can't be help then. Come on, let's go, we have other things to do." Hungary stood up and dragged Prussia by the collar, slowly walking away.

"Let go of me you tomboy! Unlike that sissy, (cough-Austria-cough) I can walk myself-"

"BANG!"

Before Prussia could finish his sentence, Hungary's pan had already landed on him, causing him to pass out in one shot.

"You are too noisy." Hungary said slowly and continued dragging him away.

Both Romano and Spain watched the both of them in fear as they got out of sight, leaving the two of them there.

"Roma, are you still angry?" Spain asked as he joined Romano and sat on the ground beside him, their hair slightly swaying in the gentle breeze

"Don't flatter yourself. It is not worth it to be angry because of a bastard like you." Romano mocked and turned to look at the ground.

Spain sighed and smiled helplessly; guess Romano was still mad at him after all.

"Isn't the air here fresh?" Spain took a deep breath and asked.

"I don't give a damn." Romano sounded very pissed.

…Ok, this was not going to be easy. But this side of Romano was just too cute. In fact, every side of Romano was cute, and he really wanted Romano to be with him forever. So, he will do anything to get Romano to smile for him again.

"Hey, remembered when we first met here? You were so small back then and absolutely adorable! Too bad you grew up too soon~ I really miss the young Romano at times."

"Only useless and dumb bastards holds on to the past." Yet another sarcastic comment for Romano, who still refused to look at Spain.

"Fusososo, guess you are right. By the way, do you still remember that question you asked me when we first met?" Spain asked as Romano looked up.

"I did not exactly gave you a satisfying answer that time, so I will tell you my answer to question now. I like Ita-chan, he is cute, nice, and sweet and he can cook really good pasta, and…" Spain continued listing Italy's good points, totally neglecting the fact that he was only making things worse and Romano's face got blacker and blacker.

"But, I love Romano. Your laugh, your scolding, your sarcastic remarks, I love everything about you. " Spain finally got to the main point before Romano lost it.

"I-idiot! Saying those things, you sound like a pervert." Romano blushed

Ayyyy, he looked so cute and irresistible right now.

"Haha! Even if boss is a pervert, he will still continue to love his henchman!" Spain laughed.

"Wh-who said anything about being your henchman?" Romano shouted, showing his tsundere spirit.

"Saa, Romano, will you come home with me?" Spain suddenly stopped laughing and asked in a kind and gently tone as he held out his hand.

In it, was a tomato.

"I am sorry if I had hurt you without knowing, but you are very important to me. No one can take your place as boss's number one henchman. So, can you please give boss another chance?"

Romano had no idea what to do next. This scenario was way too familiar to him. But he was afraid that it would like his dream, he was afraid to get hurt again.

Sensing Romano's hesitation, Spain simply smiled and took out another tomato- no, a chocolate shaped like a tomato, wrapped in red and green foil.

"Also, will you be my valentine for today? Boss took a long time for the chocolate to look like this, so he will be very sad he was being rejected." Spain asked in a soft tone.

That was all Romano could take as he suddenly hugged Spain tightly, bursting into tears at the same time.

"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG YOU BASTARD? VALENTINE DAY CHOCOLATES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HEART SHAPED IDIOT!" Romano cried and complained at the same time.

"I am sorry, I will make sure to give you a heart shaped one next year." Spain, recovering from the shock caused by the sudden hug, smiled and hugged Romano back.

"No one asked for your chocolate you idiot!" Romano did not forget his sarcastic comments even at a moment like this.

"Yes yes, boss is the one that wants to give you chocolates." Spain beamed.

His henchman was no longer angry at him.


	5. Chapter 5

"ve~~ I lost big brother Spain after all." Italy muttered as he roamed around, looking rather lost.

"I wonder how Fratello is now. I hope that he can stop being angry at big brother Spain… " Italy paused and looked around, realising that he had somehow wandered into the forest.

"Ve~ it is getting pretty dark, I should go back home. Ahh~ to think I am missing Valentine's Day and all the chocolates because of Fratello… How depressing." Italy sighed and turned to walk back home.

But despite the many tries, he still ended up in the same spot he started. In other words, he was lost. Hungry and panicking, Italy fished out his phone and quickly dialled in Germany's number.

Yet, after countless calls, no one picked up the phone. There were many possible reasons, the lack of signal in a forest, that maybe Germany was away and did not have his phone with him, that Germany phone had ran out of batteries, that Germany did not bother to care…

"No! Germany would never do that, maybe his phone is just not with him. I will try Japan then, he always has his phone with him no matter what he does." Italy shook his head to get the thought out and dialled in Japan's number next.

No one picked up too.

That was it, his final hope of getting out of here, broken and shattered. No one probably realises that he was gone in the first place. The only people that cared for him were all too busy with their own life. Sitting on the rock, Italy remembered how it was like this before, when he was just a prey for the other countries, fought over for many times, then abandoned again. No one really cared about how he felt.

Sometimes he really envied Romano, at least Romano always had Spain if he ever needed help. But he practically had no one to depend on. Well, until he met Germany while disguised as a tomato box fairy. But the vulnerable feeling wouldn't go away; the feeling that Germany would abandon him soon was always haunting him. After all, he was weak, and had caused problems for Germany times and times again.

Yeah Germany may consider him as a friend, but deep down, Germany would probably want him gone. Japan was very nice to him too, always the responsible one who would take care of problems even Germany cannot. But he could not understand Japan, except that Japan did not like the concept of a greeting hug and kiss.

"Maybe, they would be better off without me. Germany has the strength, and Japan had the brains. All I have is… Pasta." Italy hugged his knee and buried his head, feeling depressed.

Yup, without him, most of the troubles would not have happened. Without him, Germany would have one less thing to worry about. Without him, Germany and Japan could have possibly creating something super cool instead of having to babysit him. Without him… Without him… The possibilities were endless.

"Guess I will have to stay in this forest from now. No one will actually realise that I was missing right? No one would have the free time to care anyway. Right?" Italy smiled as tears rolled down his cheeks.

The fear he thought he had succeed in fighting against, the fear of being alone and forgotten was back, stronger than ever.

"ITALY! ARE YOU IN HERE?"

Suddenly, a loud shouting broke the silence as Italy stood up. That shouting… He could never forget that voice.

"ITALY KUN! PLEASE SHOUT TO US SO WE CAN LOCATE YOU!" This time was another voice; it too, was filled with worries.

"Germany…" Italy could feel himself trembling.

"ITALY! IF YOU DON'T ANSWER NOW, YOU ARE GOING TO RUN 10 LAPS WHEN I FIND YOU MYSELF!"

"Japan…" he wiped his tears dry.

"ITALY KUN! PLEASE TRY YOUR BEST!"

"GERMANY! JAPAN! I AM HERE! CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Italy shouted with all his strength

"THIS WAY!" This time was Germany, followed by their frantic footsteps, then the swishing of Japan's katana as he cut down the plants in his way.

Within minutes, Germany and Japan had come to where Italy was.

"Italy! That is 10 laps for you!" Germany ordered, but was obviously relieved to see Italy still in one piece.

"Italy kun, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?" Japan hurried over and looked at Italy worriedly.

"Nope, I am fine now, since the both of you showed up." Italy gave Japan a reassuring smile.

"I am glad to hear that." Japan returned the smile.

"Ah, but why are the two of you here? I could not get to you by phone, and..." I thought you two did not care about me.

"Spain called and told us where you might be after Romano felt something wrong." Germany replied and took the phone from Italy's hand, "Italy, how are you going to call with a phone that does not even have a SIM card?"

"Ve~~ heh heh, I guess I was too scared that I forgot…" Italy scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Italy kun, there is nothing to be scared of. Whenever and wherever you are, as long as you are in trouble, we will be there to help." Japan comforted.

"Either way, let's get out of here and to Japan's house. We have some unfinished things to do." Germany said as he led the way.

"Um! Thank you! Both of you!" Italy clung onto Germany's arm on one side and Japan's on the other.

* * *

><p>"Well then, since we cannot celebrate Valentine's Day, we will be celebrating friendship appreciation day." Japan smiled as he served the dishes on the table.<p>

"Wa~ Japan! They look so delicious! There is even pasta!" Italy looked at the table of food with sparking eyes. (yeah, his eyes are closed, but you know what I mean,.)

"Then please help yourself. Germany san, don't you have something to give to Italy kun?" Japan smiled.

"ve? Me?" Italy looked at Germany in anticipation.

"Um… Yeah. Italy, even though our war days are over. But the three of us will always be good friends. So… Here." Germany stuttered and finally stuffed a wrapped up box into Italy's hand.

"Thank you! That is so nice of you! But the two of you should have told me about this. I did not prepare anything at all…" Italy felt that it was kind of unfair for Japan and Germany.

"Just keep smiling then. That would be the best present for the both of us." Japan replied and winked at Italy, who immediately got what he meant.

Still, how did Japan guess what he was thinking so easily?

"Um! From now on! I smile even brighter just for the two of you!" Italy agreed immediately.

"Alright, let's eat. I am hungry." Germany finally said.

"Yes sir! Ah, Romano sent me a sms." Italy put down his spoon and fished the beeping phone out of his pocket.

After reading the sms, Italy could not help but love his brother even more now and quickly sent a dozen 'gracias' back to Romano.

"What does it say on the sms?" Germany asked.

"Nothing. Ahh! Japan's sushi is so good!" Italy changed the subject.

Germany sighed and smiled helplessly; guess he can't just fully understand Italy yet.

* * *

><p>"<em>Don't forget, I am Italy too. I can feel all those negative crap you did. Idiot, since when did I told you that you can give up on yourself so easily? You will make me, the big brother look bad. If you dare do that again, I will beat some senses in you myself.- Romano<em>"


	6. Chapter 6

"Arg! That annoying boss! To think dumping work on Veneziano was not enough, now he's slave driving me as well! How the hell am I going to finish this damn lot of work in one week?" Romano grumbled as he threw his poor and innocent pen to the ground with such force that it broke into two.

Resting his head on the desk of paperwork, Romano started at the table calendar and sighed. Only 3 more days to go before the marked day arrives and not a single thing was done for the preparation. Should he start now? But the work and the stupid report and… And…

It was siesta time.

"Damn it, why do I even bother?" Romano rolled his eyes and knocked the table calendar down. Great, now that it was out of sight, there was absolutely nothing to worry about and he could take his nap without worries. To hell with the paperwork, he will just shove it to Veneziano later.

When Romano woke up from his nap, it was already 5 in the evening; he had slept for 5 hours straight and found himself in his bed instead of the desk. Crap, did he sleep walk or something?

"Roma~ you are finally awake! Boss found you sleeping at the desk and decided to carry you to your bed instead. Right on time too, I was just going to ask you to go pick some tomatoes with me for dinner later." Spain popped up outside Romano's bedroom and asked with a big smile.

"Don't just come into my room and move me around you bastard! You can go get your damn tomatoes yourself; I have to settle some things with Veneziano." Like arranging for a time to meet up and dump all uncompleted paperwork to him.

"If you say so." Spain took a glance at the pile of work on Romano's desk and decided not to bother him any further. But before he go off…

"But Roma~"

"What?"

"Don't try and shove all your work on Ita-chan alright? He seems to be pretty tired and stressed nowadays. In fact, you should go check on him if y-"

A pillow landed on Spain's face with perfect accuracy.

"I don't need your advice on how to treat my brother and if you don't disappear from my sight right now, I will make sure that you regret it." Romano snapped, simply pissed off by the fact that Spain was caring so much about Veneziano when it was supposed to be his job.

Then again, Veneziano looking tired and stressed?

That was something new even to him.

After Spain had left for the tomato garden, Romano sighed and stood up from his bed, grabbed his jacket, and jogged out of his house. Veneziano was his brother after all, and he has the responsibility to make sure that his dumb brother was acting normal.

But before that…

* * *

><p>"Romano-kun? What a rare occasion for you to visit me. Please, do come in and make yourself comfortable. Would you like some tea and snacks?" Japan greeted as Romano sat down on a cushion and looked around; Japan's room was cleaner and emptier than he thought it would be.<p>

"Ah, it's fine. I am just here to ask you two things. The first one is about Veneziano." Romano quickly said and stopped Japan from rushing into the kitchen to get snacks.

"Hmm? Italy-kun? What about him?" Japan sat on the cushion opposite of Romano and asked as he tilted his head slightly.

"Well, Spain told me that Veneziano was looking tired and stressed so…" Romano scratched his head uneasily.

"Romano-kun, could it be that you are worried about Italy-kun?" Japan asked curiously as a grin formed on his face.

"Eh? Ah! No way! Why would I worry about a dumb and useless person like him? I just find it strange!" Romano argued in a very unconvincing way.

"Hai, I believe you." Japan smiled and waved his hand, "So please relax a little."

"However, I am afraid that you are right. Italy-kun seems to be… Not himself for quite some time now. Did your boss give the two of you a lot of work?"

Romano nodded. Then again, he can't be that sure since he would always leave the administrative and boring stuff to his brother. Could it be that their boss really gave them so much work this time, that it even managed to stress the forever carefree Veneziano?

"Hmm, I would suggest that you talk to him a bit, if that is not too much trouble." Japan advised.

"Ah, thanks. I will think about it." Romano replied.

Great, if even Japan said that Veneziano looked tired and stressed, then something must be wrong. Shit, his boss better not be the reason for his brother's abnormal behaviour.

"By the way Romano-kun, you said that you have two things to ask me about. May I know what the second one is?" Japan asked, rather interested.

"Ah? Um… you see…" Romano stuttered.

* * *

><p><em>Alright, the official chapter 6!<em>

_Please do check this story regularly since i am going to update this every day._

_Yes, every day._

_So guys, please thank my awesome beta dawn54321  for the awesome help._

_Also, thank you, my dear reader, for reading._

_I will be even more grateful if you review :3_


	7. Chapter 7

"Ve… I want to eat pasta…" Italy muttered with what little strength he had and looked up at the clock fixed on the study's wall, only to realize that he had been working for a whole 5 hours. But his pile of unfinished work looked… Untouched.

"Umm… Looks like I will have to work harder." Italy sighed and turned to look back into his stack of papers, ranging from complicated things that were being brought up during the world conference to some simple ones like arranging for a change in tax collection and so on.

This…this was why both him and his brother were Italy, so that the overwhelming amount of work would not claim its victim by working a single individual to death. But the fact that his brother would always run away from meetings and chuck all the work to him was not exactly helpful. It all comes down to him working on everything in the end.

"Ve… Sometimes I really wish that fratello would do what he was given instead of forcefully giving it to me…" Italy whined. But he could not really complain to anyone or talk to Romano about this; he did not want Romano to know how irresponsible a brother he was when he himself thought that he did a brilliant job. Yes, telling Romano that he was a horrible brother would be worse than any criticism in the world. Besides, his brother was not exactly that bad either. He may be loud and rude and totally irresponsible and never really caring about how he felt and- where was this going again?

"I guess I will just have to try harder… But I am so tired that even the words on the paper are dancing…" Italy rubbed his eyes and stared at the paper again, but the words refused to stay still.

"Umm… Just 5 minutes won't hurt…" With that, Italy gave up on resisting the temptation of sleep as he dropped everything and fell asleep on the spot.

* * *

><p>"Veneziano! Open up, it's me!" Romano shouted impatiently as he knocked on the door, only to receive nothing but silence.<p>

That's weird; normally Veneziano would open the door straight away and immediately pull him inside for some tea and all. But he was certain that Veneziano would be at home today… Could it be that something had happened?

"Veneziano! If you don't open the door now, I am going to knock it down!" Romano clenched his fist and increased his volume, worried that he might be right.

There was still no response from inside the house.

"Fuck this, why did I even bother to knock?" Romano cursed and took a step back, then lifted up his leg and with a swift, clean and yet powerful kick, sending the poor, innocent door to the ground with a thud, becoming another victim of Romano's short temper.

Rushing into the study, Romano almost slipped when he realized that his brother did not answer the door not because of something bad happening, but because he was asleep with his face buried in his arms. What the hell; got him charging in like one of Spain's bulls for nothing.

"Damn it. Oi! Veneziano! Sleep on the bed!" Romano scolded as he karate chopped Veneziano's head without mercy, causing Veneziano to stir a bit and started making strange noises.

Okay… Normally, the karate chop should be able to wake him up.

"Veneziano! Wake up already and cook dinner for me. I am hungry from the trip here from Spain's house." Romano complained as he shook Veneziano a bit, then harder when he realized that it was not enough to wake Veneziano up.

But when Romano saw Veneziano's face after all the failed attempts to wake him up, he got a shock of his life. Veneziano was looking very red and was slightly panting, his hair was soaked by sweat and even his curl looked like it was wilting. This was not a good sign.

"OH MY- DAMN! Veneziano! Are you feeling ok?" Romano panicked and reached out to feel Veneziano's forehead, only to find it burning hot. "Shit! Veneziano! Stop scaring me and wake the hell up!"

"…Fratello..?" Veneziano struggled to open his eyes and muttered in a very weak tone.

"Yeah, it's me! Are you alright? Your face is literally as red as a tomato!" Romano exclaimed.

"Ve… Why is it suddenly so warm…?" Veneziano tried to stand up, only to fall back on his seat again due to the lack of strength.

"God damn it what did you do? You look like a damn car has just run you down! Did anyone come here and beat you up or something?" Romano ranted as he helped the weak Veneziano up and to the bedroom.

He knew it, he should have just stayed at home and pretend that Spain was wrong instead of believing in him and coming here to check up on his brother. Great, now he would be taking care of his annoying brother instead of dealing with the freaking paper work or working on the preparations for the marked day.

* * *

><p><em>Aha~ two chapters in one day! :D <em>

_This is made possible by dawn54321, the beta for this chapters as well._

_Enjoy~ and please review if you find any of my characters OOC, i am not very sure how Romano acts when his brother is sick... so... yeah..._


	8. Chapter 8

"Italy-Kun, please take these medicines, they will make you feel you better." Japan offered, holding a cup of water in one hand and a few tablets in another.

"Ve… But they taste horribly bitter." Italy took a glance at the tablets and whined childishly.

"But, if you wish to feel better, you have to consume it. The 39.0 degree Celsius fever will not go down by itself." Japan insisted, but when Italy gets stubborn, no one can pretty much changes his mind, not even when Japan offered to give him some of his hand made candy.

"Fuck, can't you be more cooperative? You are eating those medicines even if I have to chuck them down you." Roman, who was standing at the side as Japan tended to Italy, finally got pissed off, again.

"Ve!" Italy got a scare and hid his face under the blanket as Japan turned around and gave Romano the look.

"Romano kun! This is not the right way to treat a sick patient. Please be more gentle in both the way you act and speak. " Japan reprimanded with a stern face.

"How the hell is this my fault? He is the one who is causing all the trouble! Which idiot would get him own self sick by doing too much work? " Romano argued.

"May I ask who was the one why made Italy- Kun do double the work he was supposed to be doing?" Japan raised an eye brow.

"De-…" Romano was caught unprepared as his face got redder; he hates to admit it, but it was partly, just partly, his fault that Veneziano got sick.

"Either way, I am afraid that I have some other things to tend to and cannot stay here for long. I will be back right after I am done, Italy-kun, please rest for the time being." Japan stood up and walked out of the bedroom, pulling Romano along with him.

"Um! I will! Thank you for coming here to take care of me Japan. Oh, help me say hi to Germany if you see him later." Italy popped out from under the blanket, smiled and waved to Japan, who waved back before gently closing the door behind him.

"Romano-kun, please take good care of Italy-kun while I am gone. You will have to make sure that he takes his medicines and please cook some light and nutritious food for Italy-kun tomorrow. I brought some ingredients for porridge and pasta in case Italy-kun insists on it. Please… Just hang in there until I come back?" Japan dare not aim high, especially when he was dealing with Romano.

"I got it! It is not like I have never taken care of sick people before. Ask Spain!" Romano replied impatiently.

… Well that was the problem. Spain was only having a sight cold, which turned into food poisoning after Romano's 'special dish', which Romano forced Spain into eating, insisting that it would heal him straight away… Then again, that was when Romano was still young. So maybe, now that he is a teenager, he could at least…

"Please do your best." Japan gave up on the possibility.

"Will you stop the damn nagging and get going already? If things really get bad, I will call you, then the ambulance, Alright? So god damn it have some faith in me!" Romano shouted and pushed Japan out of the house, locking it from the inside.

"… I pray that Italy-kun could survive this." Japan sighed and looked at his watch.

Great, thanks to Romano's surprise call, he was going to be late for the meeting.

"Ahh… This is bad, I should hurry up. England-san is always very punctual, it would not be appropriate for making him wait." Japan muttered and quickened his pace. "Also, I will have to make a few trips to help Romano-kun prepare for the appointed day…"

* * *

><p>"Veneziano, I am coming it." Romano knocked on the bedroom door before entering, holding the same two things; a cup of water, and some tablets.<p>

"Ve~ thanks for coming over to look after me fratello. I am sorry I caused you so much problem." Veneziano apologized and struggled to sit up on his bed; his fever refused to go down and was draining his strength.

"Now let's get things straight. I am taking care of you so I don't have to do all those stupid paperwork while you are sick, I am doing this for me, got it? Second, if you really feel sorry for taking up my precious time, then be a fucking man and eat your medicine already." Romano shoved the two things right in front of Veneziano's face.

"But they are really bitter! You refused to take them too when I gave them to you when you were sick last time…" Veneziano complained in a soft tone.

"I am the older one, so you have to listen to me. Hurry up before I decide to help you." Romano felt his eye twitched.

"Ve… I guess I really don't have a choice…" Unless he was ready to die under his own brother's hands.

With that in mind, Veneziano picked up one of the tablet and holding his nose, washed it down with some water. That's one down, five more to go… While Veneziano was going for his second one, Romano lost his patience and stuffed all five tablets into the unprepared Veneziano's mouth and forcefully poured the whole cup of water into Veneziano's mouth.

"There, all done." Clapping his hands, Romano had a satisfied grin on his face while Veneziano chocked on the water as the bitter taste of the tablets carved a painful frown on his face.

…Poor guy.

"See? It is not that hard right?" Romano smiled and patted the coughing Veneziano on the head and miraculously stopped Veneziano's coughing straight away.

…Did his brother just pat his head in a super loving and gentle way…? That could not be true right…? Was it just his imagination? Yup! That must be it; the fever was messing with his brain! How could his brother ever be this kind and mother-like?

"Ah, you should sleep for now. It is already 10 pm and the medicine will take some time to work. Meanwhile, I will have to call Spain that I am staying here for a while." Romano ordered as he literally pushed Veneziano down on the bed and pulled the blanket to his neck level.

* * *

><p>…<p>

"Ve~ fratello?" Veneziano suddenly called out after 10 minutes of silence, turing to look at Romano, who was sitting on a chair just next to the bed.

"What now? Shouldn't you be asleep?" Romano looked up from his phone and stared at Veneziano.

"Umm… I can't sleep. Could you please sing me a lullaby?" Veneziano pleaded.

"No way." Romano rejected immediately.

"Ve… I thought so…" Veneziano sounded rather disappointed as he turned his head to the other side.

The room was quiet again and the only sound was made by Veneziano's constant tossing and turning.

"…" Romano could not help but stare at the super annoying person who should be asleep by now.

"-sigh- If I sing a lullaby, will you stay still and sleep?" Romano was not sure which was it that made him give in; his brother's disappointed expression, or his super weak and pathetic tone.

Upon hearing this, Veneziano immediately turned to look at Romano with sparking eyes filled with hope as he nodded without hesitation.

"Fine. I guess one won't hurt." He will make an exception for Veneziano since he was sick this time. Only for this one tiny time.

"Ve~~ grazi!" Veneziano smiled brightly.

Romano sighed and took a deep breath, "Fa la ninna, fa la nanna. Nella braccia della mamma. Fa la ninna bel bambin, Fa la nanna bambin bel…"

...

...

"…Fratello?" Veneziano asked, but did not get a reply.

Opening his eyes, Veneziano looked at Romano, who had amazing drifted into sleep while slouched in the chair before he was able to finish the lullaby.

"That's weird… You would always fall asleep after me…" Guess talking care of him was really tiring.

Veneziano smiled warmly with the thought of how much his brother cared for him, even though he had a very weird way of showing it. He was so busy making sure that he (Veneziano) was comfortable enough that he did not even notice how tired he was.

Sitting up, Veneziano used whatever energy and strength he had and struggled to move Romano onto the empty side half of the bed, making sure not to wake him up. When he had finally got Romano on the bed, Veneziano had used up all his remaining energy and simply fell back on the bed beside Romano and started snoozing.

* * *

><p>Inside the house, on the soft and comfortable bed, two brothers both slept soundly.<p>

Outside the house, on the dark blue sky, two stars shone brightly beside each other…

* * *

><p>Time check: 123/2012, 11.59 pm

Two more days before the marked day...

* * *

><p><em>Extremely long chapter! :D<em>

_Oh but this one is not being beta yet because i cannot make it in time... _

_So please bear with this and when i get the edited ver, i will replace it with this one._

_I hope you get the fluffiness i planted here. :3_

_And please, Italy only dragged Romano to bed becos he wanted his brother to rest well._

_I am not intending to introduce Ita-cest in this story __


	9. Chapter 9

"Damn it! Veneziano! What the hell is wrong with you? Normal people would take their medicine and wake up feeling better, not have it the same as before!" Romano scolded angrily as he pointed to the reading on the thermometer, which reads 38.0 degree Celsius.

"Sorry… But it is not exactly the same; the temperature went down by 1." Veneziano pointed his index fingers together. Should he tell Romano that his fever probably did not go down fully because he was busy pulling the blanket up on Romano yesterday night that he forgot about himself…?

"IT DOESN'T COUNT AS LONG AS YOU'RE STILL SICK! Shit, I will go get you medicine and hopefully it will work this time." Romano snapped and stormed out of the bedroom, returning with a cup of water and the medicine.

Having learnt from his previous experience, Veneziano did not even struggle in the littlest and took his tablets obediently, that put a slight and grin on Romano's face for a mere 2 seconds, making it almost unnoticeable.

"Good, now rest." Romano ordered.

"Ve…? But I just woke up, there is no way I will be able to fall asleep again. Can't I at least have something to eat? It is almost noon." Veneziano asked and tilted his head slightly. "I really miss your cooking~."

"Fine, but you better sleep after that or I will knock you out muself." Romano gave in once again and marched into the kitchen, leaving an extremely delighted Veneziano beaming happily.

* * *

><p>When Romano walked into the empty kitchen, he was surprised to find a sealed container containing porridge, a note was attached to the container.<p>

"Hmm? It is still warm." Romano muttered to himself as he opened the the note up and read it:

_Romano kun, _

_ This is Japan. Since you forgot to lock the back door, i decided to come in after i was done with my meeting and was relieved to find the place still in tact. Seeing that both you and Italy kun were both sound asleep, i decided not to disturb the both of you and prepared the porridge for consumption should Italy kun or you be hungry. Please be careful though, it may still be very hot. _

_ I am utterly sorry for not being able to be here though, i am afraid that some plans were brought forward and i may not be able to come visit Italy kun for the whole of today. Please take good care of him and call me should anything goes wrong. I will still make it somehow. Thank you very much, and good luck._

_-Japan_

_Ps: Please come to my house at five pm today, i have found the solution to the second problem you asked me for help with._

_Looking up from the extremely long and neatly written note at the container full of porridge, Romano smiled. Great, now that he did not have to cook, it had saved him lots of work and trouble. _

"Hey Veneziano! Japan made you some porridge."Carrying a bowl of porridege, Romano said as he walked into Veneziano's room.

"Eh? Really? That is nice..." Veneziano was somehow disappointed.

"... Don't give me that look. I am not gonna fucking cook for you when the food is right here. Eat it or leave it."

"Um... I got it." Veneziano reluctantly received the bowl of porridge from Romano, "I really want fratello's pasta though..." He muttered under his breath.

"Huh? You said something?"

"Eh? Err, i was saying that Japan was so nice for cooking for me even though he was so busy." Veneziano pulled the lie off with some sheepish laughter and looked down at his bowl of porridge again.

It was not like he did not like Japan's cooking. In fact, Japan's cooking probably tastes better than Romano's cooking. But he just wanted to taste his brother's cooking, to remember that special taste and feeling once again. After all, it felt like centuries have passed since the last time his brother cooked for him.

Taking all these in, Romano felt his left eye twitched again. As much as he hated to admit it, he had a soft spot for Veneziano, and seeing Veneziano with a glum face was not exactly entertaining. Shit, why the hell did he have to care about his stupid and useless brother so much?

Snatching the bowl back, Romano looked to the other side and said,"Since you obviously no appetite, i guess i can make an exception and cook something for you... IT'S NOT LIKE YOU ARE SPECIAL OR ANYTHING AND IF YOU DARE ASK ME TO COOK AGAIN IN THE FUTURE, I WOULD PERSONALLY KILL YOU."

"Um! Thank you sooo much fratello!" Veneciano smiled warmly as Romano blushed visibly.

Crap, he need to get rid of that soft spot, quick.

* * *

><p>So after getting Veneziano to eat the plate of pasta that he spent one hour on, Romano forced Veneziano back to sleep and started cleaning the house. (He only managed to make it messier and gave up after half an hour. Then after realizing that was not was he was supposed to, he started cleaning again and after 2 hours, finally managed to clean up the mess he made.)<p>

When it was 5, Romano dragged his tired self to Japan's house and spent another tiring and slow 2 hours preparing for the marked day, getting reprimanded by Japan for every single mistake he made and/or every cursing and swearing heard. (He shouted that he give up for around 30 times, but since Japan was in charge, he ended up half alive, but managed to get the things ready.)

Finally, when it was 8, he got back to Veneziano's house and was glad to find Veneziano still sound asleep and his fiver had gone down too. Now he can prove to Japan about how responsible he was. But the day was not over for him as he sat down on the desk and started going through the pile of paperwork.

Yes, you read that right; Romano actually willingly sat down and started doing his work.

"Ahh heck, that freaking boss is making us do everything! Who the hell would ask a country to decide on the amount of tax to be collected?" Romano complained as he threw yet another piece of paper to the 'finished' stack.

Yet, despite Romano's rare hard work and persistence, the 'unfinished' pile showed no signs of decreasing in height, even when it was already 12 pm; after 4 hours of hard work... Romano finally understood how going through paper work could get his brother sick.

"Ah fuck. Looks like i'm not sleeping today." Romano cursed and snapped yet another pen into halves.

Shit, that was the second last working pen left...

* * *

><p>Time check: 12.40 am, 143/2012

The marked day itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Once again, not been through beta yet.<strong>

**Fuu, i rushed this out at midnight and now i am so sleepy i could barely keep my eyes open.**

**But i finally did it! So did Romano :) /clap clap/**

**By the way, any of you figured out what the marked day is about yet? :)**

**Oh and please review _**

**I don wanna sound horrible and all, but i seriously think i deserve opinions/flaming/a good job for you readers since i just sacrificed my 2 hours of sleep writing this. **

**So yeah.. Thanks for reading! Oh, and please inform me if you think i am writing OOC at any point of time :3**


	10. Chapter 10

Veneziano woke up to a fresh and quiet morning, feeling refreshed and brand new. Looking at the digits '36.5' on the thermometer screen, Veneziano smiled happily. He was now completely healthy. Standing up, he opened the bedroom window and took a deep breath as the fresh morning air filled the room. It was a beautiful morning, but something was amiss. It felt... Too quiet.

"Ve~ I wonder if fratello has gone home~." Veneziano muttered as he slowly walked out of the bedroom. But what he saw almost made him think that he was dreaming.

Romano was sleeping on the sofa in the living room with a blanket on him, looking very tired even in his sleep and there were visible eye bags under his closed eyes. But that was not just it, Romano's head was resting on Spain's thigh, who was slouched on the sofa beside him, sound asleep as well.

"Big brother Sp-"

Italy's mouth was covered by a hand from someone who suddenly appeared behind him.

"Shii, please keep quiet Italy kun. It is still early, let's let them sleep." Japan whispered with a grin on his face as Italy turned around to face him.

"Japan, you are here too?" And why are you holding that camera...?

"Hai, i just arrived a while ago. Please, let's talk in the kitchen and let them rest. I will make you breakfast too." Japan winked and after conveniently taking some shots of the two sleeping together, pulled Italy to the kitchen.

...Italy was beginning to wonder what else was in the camera.

"Why are big brother Spain and you here so early in the morning?" Italy asked as Japan cracked two eggs into a bowl.

"I am not very sure about Spain kun, but i came here to see if you are alright, also to pass Romano kun something. Spain kun and Romano kun were already like this when i arrived." Japan smiled as he skillfully flipped the omelet in pan.

"I see~. They look so cute together like this though. Normally, fratello would be busy quarreling with big brother Spain." And Spain would just laugh and mess up Romano's hair, then get headbutted...

Anyway~

"But it is quite surprising though. Romano kun seemed to have finished the whole load of paperwork for you. It was very considerate of him, no?" Japan did not know which one was more impossible, Romano doing paperwork willing or the fact that he finished all those in one night.

"He did? Ve~ that is nice indeed." Italy beamed as he thought of how much his brother must have cared for him to finish all those work for him. Then again, he probably also smiled due to the mental image of Romano cursing ans swearing while going through the papers, snapping pens once in a while.

"Ah! Ita-Chan! You are awake! How is your fever?" Another cheerful voice was heard as Italy and Japan turned in the direction of the voice.

"Big brother Spain~ you are awake! Did we wake you up? Ve~ we are so sorry." Italy apologized and scratched his head.

"Hahaha, it's alright, i woke up by myself. Sleeping on the sofa was not exactly comfortable anyway." Spain laughed at looked at Japan, "Oh! Are you making breakfast? Do you mind making one for me too?"

"Hai, not at all. Please sit beside Italy kun by the dining table. I will be done soon." Japan nodded with a slight smile on his face.

"By the way big brother Spain, why were you here so early in the morning?" Italy asked.

"Huh? Oh, I decided that Roma probably did not have his dinner, so I brought food over, only to find him slumped on the desk in the study, sleeping like he was dead." Spain replied.

"And just exactly when did you reach here?" Japan asked as he placed a plate of food each in front of Italy and Spain.

"6 am, why?"

Bringing dinner over at 6 am in the morning..?

"Ve~ so where is the food that you brought?" Italy and Japan both looked at each other with a meaningful grin.

"Er, i kind of lost it on the way here. Hahaha..." Spain looked the other way.

Upon hearing that, Italy chuckled as Japan tried hard to resist laughing out loud. What a horrible liar.

"Big brother Spain, no offence, but you might want to work on your lying." Italy advised.

"What? I am not lyin-." Spain blushed and paused when he noticed the way the other two were staring at him.

"..."

"Fine, i was worried and came to make sure that both you and Romano and alright." Spain finally spoke and looked down at his breakfast instead.

Both Japan and Italy could not help but chuckle again, Spain was still not honest with himself. But, let's give the poor guy a break.

"Daa! Stop laughing would you? Let's all just eat our breakfast!" Spain decided that the best thing to do now was to change the topic.

* * *

><p>"Umm... Should we wake fratello up?" Italy asked.<p>

"Huh? Why should we?" Spain looked up and replied with a question, brilliant.

"Well... It is already 1 in the afternoon and.." And the both of you are doing thing things that were probably gonna piss Romano off big times.

"We should let him rest for a while more. After all, he had a though day yesterday." Japan moved his focus from his multipurpose camera to Italy for a moment, and went back to taping Spain poke Romano's face and all.

"I see..." Italy smiled helplessly and thought,_"Sorry Fratello, i tried my best to stop them..."_

"Ah, by the way, Japan, isn't today White Valentine's day?" Italy suddenly thought of another idea to stop the two from toying with his sleeping brother.

"Hai, it is. Speaing of which, I have something for the two of you." Japan replied and kept his camera as Italy heaved a sigh of relief.

"Oh? For us?" Spain stopped his little actions and asked.

"Well, it is not from me though." Japan replied and passed Spain and Italy each a box wrapped in pink paper and white ribbons, "they are Romano kun's white valentine's day present for the two of you."

"Eh? Me too? But i did not give him anything this year." Italy exclaimed, but was extremely happy.

"He said that this was the least he could do since he made you miss out on almost 3/4 of the day." Japan explained as the other two unwrapped their presents.

"Ah! it is a tomato shaped chocolate! This is adorable!" Spain laughed.

"That is not all, please carefully break the tomato into halves." Japan instructed as Spain reluctantly did so, then squealed (manly squeal..? XD ) in delight.

The tomato was empty on the inside, and was filled with small heart shaped white chocolate.

"Ve~ mine is shaped like a small cat! Uwaa! it is super cute!" Italy held the cat to his face lovingly.

"How can we bear eat something as cute as this?"

"Romano kun took a long time to make it, he would be happy when he know that the both of you like your present a lot." And at the same time, wasted at least a ton of chocolate while trying...

"Ahh~ i was right to love Roma so much! He really outdid his self this time! Right Ita-Chan?"

"Ve~ Um! I feel so glad to have a brother like him." Itally nodded almost immediately.

"Right then, shall we take a photo to remember this joyous moment?" Japan smiled and lifted the camera in his hand to eye level.

"Um!"

"Alright!"

"Please do keep your volume down though... Romano kun is still asleep."

* * *

><p>When Romano woke up at 5, he found himself in Veneziano's bed and a certain younger brother sitting on the chair beside the bed, smiling at him. For a moment, he almost jumped. After all, waking up to a person staring at you was not preferred.<p>

"Heh heh~ thank you for the present fratello." Veneziano finally said.

"Ah... Japan already gave it to you? Hey! What's with that damn expression of yours? I only gave it to you because i am sure you were pathetic enough to not receive anything!" Crap, he felt like punching Veneziano's smug face.

"Not just me, Spain got it too~" Veneziano ignored Romano's tsun-ness.

"What? Already? Shit! I told Japan to wait!" Romano shot up immediately and shouted as he charged to the washroom to wash up.

"Hmm~ Guess i shouldn't show him this yet." Veneziano pulled out a photo after Romano was out of sight.

On it, Spain and Italy were hugging the sleeping Romano from one side each, Spain kissing Romano's left cheek and him kissing Romano's right cheek, both with a huge grin on their faces.

"Ve~~ happy white valentine's day~ fratello!" Italy laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>not beta-ed<strong>

**Last Chapter...?**

**Oh btw~ imma advertise abit: .net/s/7671094/1/Sweet_and_bitter_chocolate**

**that is the USUK ver of white valentine~**


	11. Bonus: the missing chapter

**I think i am being too kind... But Whatever, the amount of clicks i got for this story deserves an update :D So here we go:**

**~Bonus Chapter~**

Japan stood in front of Italy's front door and heaved a sigh of relief. He had just finished his meeting with England and instead of going home for some rest, decided to come check on the brothers. From the looks of the house, Japan could safely say that Romano did not accidentally set the house on fire. But there was still a high possibility of danger. What if Romano made something poisonous by mistake and poisoned both him and Italy? What if Romano left the gas on? What if... What if...

Japan's head started to spin as he thought of all the possible dangers Romano could get themselves into. The quiet atmosphere which he once adored was now torturing him. How could it be quiet, when Romano was around? Unless both Romano and Italy were unconscious... So there really was a case of gas poisoning? NO! He can't wait anymore! He had to know what was happening inside the house! But wait, what if they were just sleeping? He would be disturbing a patient and a super short tempered person... That would definitely not end well either... What should he do?

Spain could not leave Romano alone after all.

From his earlier experiences of having Romano take care of him while he was sick, Spain dare not imagine what would happen to Italy should Romano take care of it alone. Yet, no matter how much he wanted to charge to Italy's house the minute he got the phone call at 10 pm, he had to hold it on. Romano would probably make a fuss about it and be annoyed with the fact that he could not trust him to even take care of his own brother. Things could get messy.

So after that long and cruel two hours, Spain decided that it was enough waiting and jogged to Italy's house. What he did not expect, however, was a really flustered and indecisive looking Japan. Now that was rare.

"Hey Japan!" Spain waved as he quickened his steps, "What are ya doing here at 12 midnight?"

"Oh, hello Spain san."Japan waved back, "I am just a little worried about Romano and Italy kun. And you...?"

"Haha," Spain laughed sheepishly and scratched his head, "I guess we are both on the same boat. "

"Still, there is nothing much i could do from here..." Japan looked a little troubled.

"Na, let's go in then."Spain pointed to the path that leads to the back of the house, " Ita chan always leaves his back door unlocked since Romano is not one to bring keys."

"Ha... Hai..." Japan nodded slightly and followed Spain to the back door. Doing this made him feel like an intruder and he knew it was morally not right to sneak into someone's house through the back door at night, but... For the sake of Italy's safety, he guess he could make an exception.

When they got into the quiet and dark house, Spain and Japan both heaved a sigh of relief to find the air normal. Then, with a nod, the two of them split and started searching for the brothers. Spain was busy looking in the study after checking the washroom and spare bedroom when he heard a click, then saw a flash coming from Italy's bedroom. Immediately, he dashed for the bedroom.

"Japan! What's wr-"

Spain felt like his energy was immediately drained out of him when he saw Japan with a camera, busy snapping away at the two people on the bed. But when he managed to get a closer look, he soon understood why Japan had to take a photo of someone sleeping.

It was way too adorable for words.

Both Romano and Italy were side by side, sleeping very soundly. They were slightly facing each other, and Italy had his arms wrapped around Romano, who had this annoyed expression on his face. Their curls were very close together and it made a shape that somewhat resembles a heart. That happy and warm smile on Italy's face completed this masterpiece which, in Spain's opinion, would cheer him up anytime.

"Sp-Spain san! Your nose is bleeding!" Japan exclaimed as he pulled Spain to the kitchen to get him some tissue.

"Fusososo, sorry for the trouble Japan, but they were just so cute!" Spain laughed as Japan handed him the tissue.

"Yes, it is indeed rare to see this side of Romano kun. It is truly an eye opener." Japan nodded with a slight grin. This would be the best chance to get the information he needed.

"Haha, I do agree with you that this is rare." Spain threw the tissue into the rubbish bin, "But doesn't that makes it even more special?"

"How so?"

"Well, Romano may not have the the best temper around, but he does have a soft side." Spain had that warm and fuzzy smile on his face, "I won't blame him though. If i was being forced to be someone i am not and have people shouting at me, ordering me to be like my brother all the time, i don't think i will be able to smile either." Spain's smile turned into a frown.

"Can you imagine it? Having a younger brother who is better than you in everything. Everyone would be going for him while you were left alone, crying and shouting while no one chooses to hear you. Breaking things and being a nuisance to get attention, but no one chooses to see you. It must be very painful." Spain looked up at Japan, "Japan, can you imagine that? If you are in that scenario, can you still be like Romano, and love your brother?"

Japan felt like something has just hit him hard in the head. He never thought of it this way... Why would someone choose to be hated unless they wanted to be heard and seen? Just how much pain and stress was Romano under? If Spain was not there to help Romano, how far would he have sunken into the black hole now?

"I am afraid that... I may not even be able to look at my brother." Japan finally answered.

"That's right. But Romano was different. When he first came to my house, his first question was, "Can my brother come here as well?". I was really surprised, and at the same time, relieved. I thought that Romano would be hating his brother to the core, but he was thinking of his brother all the time. But the harsh treatment he got scarred him pretty badly, and he is always on the defensive mode. I want to try and fix that, i want him to know that he is loved for who he is." Spain's expressionless face was slowly replaced by a beam, "I want him to be able to smile with his heart again."

"I understand it now." Japan smiled and gave Spain a pat on the shoulder, "Spain san, i wish you luck in your attempts."

"Grazias~ I will never give up on turning Romano's black heart into a white one!" Spain laughed and patted back.

"White heart...?" What an abstract way of describing it...

"Yeah, i was told of a story when i was young. In the story, everyone has a white heart when they were born. That heart is pure, gentle and kind. But as one grows up, that heart will change as well. Some people will still have a white heart, while some will have either lose their heart, or have a black heart. The black heart is full of hatred, darkness, lacks love and trust." Spain pointed to his own heart.

"Is it right for me to say that Romano's heart, when you first met him, was black?" Japan found this very interesting.

"Yeah, but it is turning brown now! Which means i am one step closer to getting Romano's heart to turn white!" Spain pumped his fist up in the air with determination, "And i will not rest till i achieve that!"

"Go-Good luck with that." Japan smiled helplessly.

"Na, putting that aside, isn't the kitchen a little too clean?" Spain looked around and asked.

"Now that you mention it... The ingredients i brought here earlier are untouched as well. Hmm, It appears that Romano kun did not cook anything at all." Japan sighed, and he was hoping that Italy could eat something nutritious while he was sick..

"Fusososo, this is where we come in!" Spain rolled up his sleeve, "Come on Japan, let's make some breakfast for them!"

"Agreed." Japan nodded happily.

-End of bonus-

* * *

><p><strong>Now, please tell me that you enjoyed it :D<strong>

**In case you are lost, this is sort of like a 'missing chapter' that explains quite a lot of things.**

**For example, where Romano got the idea of making the white valentine choco for Spain, why there was porridge for Romano and Italy the next day, and well... I have to throw in all those random Spamano thought somewhere~~**

**Heh heh, this should be the final bonus. But i got a request from rubyredroses1, who wanted me to write about italy taking care of Romano instead. Now i am sure that can be arranged, but you will have to show me you want to read it. /smiles**

**Jaa, till next time ^^**


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